Apparatus for collecting air mail and express



0d. 15, 1935. H. P TRUSTY 2,017,081

APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AIR MAIL AND EXPRESS Filed May 21, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l FZIQ- f l/o/ gsr L71 INVENTOR: l 74RRY 7? TRUSTY.

' ATTORNEY.

1935- H. P TRUSTY APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AIR MAIL AND EXPRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1934 m n why/M w m T A Y m w @cfi. 15, 1935. H, TRUSTY 2,017,081

APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AIR MAIL AND EXPRESS Filed May 21, 1934 4 Shets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

II I ATTORNEY- 06% 19351. H. P. TRUSTY APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AIR MAIL AND EXPRESS Filed May 21, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m E R m A P Y Rv M w Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNHTED STTES QFFICE APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AIR MAIL AND EXPRESS 7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for collecting air mail and express into an airplane while the plane is flying.

The invention is particularly useful for collecting air mail and express in a number of small cities and-towns surrounding a large city, and transporting said mail and express by air to said large city for further transportation from said large city over a main airway a considerable distance to another large city or destination.

The general object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated which is simple, practical, safe and highly efiicient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention 'is illustrated in the annexed drawings which form a part of this specification and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention and an airplane on which the projection release and pickup device is mounted, showing said airplane in position flying close to the container projecting apparatus, and said projection release and pickup device about to engage the container bail for releasing said container projecting apparatus and picking up the container as it is projected into the air by said released container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 1 is a view like Fig. 1, except that the airplane is shown flying upwardly past the container projecting apparatus and the projection release and pick-up device, picking up the container projected from the container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a View like Fig. 2, except that the airplane is shown fiying upwardly beyond its position shown in Fig. 2, and the projection release and pick-up device having swung the container up to a door in the side of the cabin of the plane,

where the container is removed from said projection release and pick-up device by an attendant in the plane and delivered into the cabin of the plane.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the course and distance the container is projected by the container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a rear View of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the container projecting apparatus taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of the container projecting apparatus taken on line 'i-i of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a front end elevation of the container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a rear end elevation of the container projecting apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the projection re- 5 hook on the outer end of said arm. 15

Fig. 14 is a side view of the container hook and a fragmentary vertical section of the outer end of the pick-up arm in which said hook is secured.

Fig. 15 is a vertical section of the outer end of the pick-up arm and the container hook taken on 20 line l5-l5 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a horizontal section of the outer end of the pick-up arm and the container hook taken on line l6l6 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a horizontal section of the outer end 25 of the pick-up arm taken on line l6|6 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 18 is a rear view of the lower outer end of the pick-up arm, the container hook being removed.

Fig. 19 is a side view of the container. 30

Fig. 20 is a side view of the container taken at right angles to Fig. 19.

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in all the figures of the drawings. 35

My invention comprises generally a projecting apparatus I, mounted on the ground or on a building or other structure, and a projection release and pick-up device 2, mounted on an airplane 3, for releasing a mail and express con- 40 tainer 4 from said projecting apparatus and picking up said container, as it is projected by said projecting apparatus, and delivering said container into said airplane while flying, as will be hereinafter more fully described. 45

Said projecting apparatus includes a projector cage 5, a spring-projecting plunger 6, and a trigger-mechanism l for holding the container 4 in said cage against said plunger and said plunger in retracted position, until said con- 50 tainer and plunger are released by the engagement of said release and'pick-up apparatus with said trigger mechanism, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The projector cage 5 is mounted upon a sup- 55 porting frame 8 and comprises a head 9 at its rear end, a pluarilty of bands l9 spaced forwardly of said head and a plurality of angle irons l l extending longitudinally of and spaced around the outside of the cage and secured to said head and said bands. The cage 5, containers and plunger 6' are preferably rectangular in cross section and roller bearings it! are provided within said cage, two of which bearings being secured to the head 9 and bands ii! at the sides of the cage 5, two at the bottom and two at the top of said cage, on which bearings the con tainer 4 and plunger 6 are mounted to slide in the cage and are thereby prevented from jamming in the cage, when the container is projected, by said spring projecting plunger, forwardly out of said cage. I 7

' The plunger fi is hollow and closed at its forward end by a head wall It, to which wall are secured the forward ends of five plunger rods l4, 15, I6, l1 and I8, which extend rearwardly through said plunger and through slide bearings l9, 2!]; 2|, 22 and 23, respectively, in the cage head 9, the rod it being solid and secured to the plunger head wall 83 centrally of the plunger 6, and the plunger rods' l5, it, l1 and I8 being tubular and secured to the plunger'head wall 13 about said center rod M with the rods l5and l6 above and at opposite sides respectively ofsaid'center rod, and therrods'll and 13 below and at opposite sides respectively of said center rod. Expansion. coil springs 24, 25, 25, 27,

and 28 surround the plunger rods M, IE, it, if, and I8 respectively within the. projection cage 5 and the plunger 6 and bear at their ends res'pectively against the cage head 9 and the plunger head wall I3, which springs are compressed when the plunger is retracted and expand to project the plunger 6 forwardly and the'container 4 out of the projector cage 5 in the manner hereinafter more fully described.

The rear ends of the plunger rods I4, l5, I6, I! and I8 extend through a plate?!) and said plate is held on the rear threaded ends of said rods'by nuts 30, 36, 32, 33 and'34 which screw on said threaded ends of said rods respectively against the rear side of s'aid'plate. Shock absorbing coil springs 36 surround the rear portions of the plunger rods I 5, I 6, I and l 8 respectively, bearing at their rear ends against the plate 29 and at their forward ends against collars 31 on said rods respectively, which collars are secured to the forward ends of rubber'sle'eves 38 which enclose said springstii and are secured at their rear ends to said plate.

The central plunger rod I4 is formed with a rack 40' on its lower side in m'esh'with a pinion 4| secured on' a crank shaft 42 extending transversely' of the head 9 of the'projector cage '5 and slidably journaledin bearings 53 and 44 on said head, there being aratchet wheel #35 secured'on said crank shaft which is enlgaged by 'a'pawl 46 pivoted on bearing 44 on the cage head 9,. and a; crank 4? is secured on one end of said crank shaft 42 for rotating the same. V

The trigger mechanism 1 includesfa trigger 50,

a trigger release lever 5i and a bail52 pivotally connected to the forward or upperfen'd of the container 4. Said bail comprises a pair of spaced side arms 53 bent rearwardly intermediate their ends, an upper dross rod 54" connecting the upper ends of said arms and a lower cross rod 55 connected'to' the bent portion of said side arms below said upper cross red, the lower ends of said side arms being pivoted at 56 to connecting arms 51 secured to the sides respectively of the container 4 and extending beyond the forward end or above the upper end of said container. The trigger 50 'is mounted to slide vertically in a pair of spaced lugs 53 and 59 projecting rearwardly from the head 9 of the projector cage 5, and a spring 63 surrounds said trigger, bearing at its upper end against the upper lug 58 and at its lower end against a pin 6| extending through the trigger, for projecting the lower end of the trigger into a notch 62 in the upper side of the central plunger rod M for holding the plunger 6 retracted against the tension of the springs 24, 25, 26, 21 and 28, as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8' of the drawings. The upper end 63 of the trigger 50 is bent forwardly at right angles to the trigger for overlapping and engaging the rear end of the trigger release lever and holding the forward end 64 of said lever, which end is bent upwardly at a slight angle, under and against the lower cross rod 55 of the container bail 52; whereby the container 4 is held within the projector cage 5 against the retracted plunger 6 and the bail 52 is held'in position to be en gaged by the release and pick-up apparatus 2 on the airplane 3 for releasing the trigger 59 from the notch 62 in the plunger rod 14 and for picking up the container 4 as it is projected forwardly from the projector cage 5 by the springs 24, 25, 26, 21 and 28,'as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The container 6 may be constructed in any suitable manner of light fireproof material and the forward or upper end thereof is closed by a removable cover 65 which is detachably held in closed position by slide bolts 68 mounted thereon which engage openings 6'! in the bail connecting arms 51011 the forward or upper end of the container. 7 V

The projecting apparatus '1 is covered by an inverted rounded U-shaped hood 1B which extends downwardly from the rear end of the pr0- jector cage 5 and the sides thereof slope outwardly in a downward direction, which hood protects the projecting apparatus from the release and pick-up apparatus should the plane fly too low.

The projecting apparatus I is mounted on a table H which stands on the ground at a suitable location and said apparatus may be inclined upwardly in a forward direction at any suitable angle by placing a block 12 of suitable thickness on the top of the table under the forward end of the base 73 of the cage supporting frame 8 with the rear end of said base resting directly upon said table top, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The projection release and pick-up device 2 comprises a U-shaped brace member 15, a pickup arm 15, a container hook T! on the outer end of said arm, a cable '58 connected to said arm plane 3 at opposite sides respectively of a door 81' in the corresponding side of the cabin 82 of the plane, as at 83. One end portion 84 of the pickup arm is bent at right angles to the arm and is pivoted at 85 to the under side of the fuselage 88 near the side thereof to which the ends of the brace member 75 are pivoted, so that when the arm 16 is swung down on its pivot 85 for picking up a container 4, it will rest a suitabledistance below the fuselage. The brace member 15 is formed with a sleeve 86 on its swinging end portion, through which sleeve the pick-up arm i5 Cir extends and slides. The pick-up arm 16. is formed in two sections 81 and 88, the section 81' being tubular and being the section that is pivoted at 85 to the fuselage 80 of the plane, and the section 88 extending into the outer end of said tubular section and telescoping in said section, there being a coil spring 81 mounted in the outer end of the section 87 which spring engages the inner end of the section 88. A removable pin 89 extends through openings 90 in the section 81 and through a longitudinal slot 9| in the section 85 of the pick-up arm I6, to prevent the section 88 from turning in the section 81, when the hook II engages the container bail 52 for releasing the 1 container 4 from the container projecting apparatus I and picking up the container as it is projected from said apparatus, the hook TI being secured in the outer end 92 of the section 88 of the pick-up arm I6, which end 92 is bent downwardly from said section. Said downwardly bent end 92 is provided with a recess 93 extending upwardly from its lower end and through its rear.

side to receive the hook shank 94 which extends upwardly from the hook TI, said bent end 92 being formed with inturned flanges 95 extending inwardly from the sides respectively of the recess 93 at the lower end thereof, which flanges engage grooves 96 respectively in opposite sides of the hook shank 94, when said shank is introduced "1 into the recess 93 from the rear of said bent end 92 of the section 88 of the pick-up arm 16, whereby the hook I1 is detachably connected to said bent end. The bent end 92 of the arm section 39 is provided with small transverse holes 97 and the hook shank 94 is provided with a corresponding hole 98, through which hole a small pin 99 is driven for securing the hook shank in the recess 93 in the lower end of said bent end 92'. A fiat spring IE9 is secured at its upper end to the forward side of the shank 94 of the hook I? and extends downwardly across the hook behind a shoulder IUI on the upper side and at the rear of the point I02 of the hook.

The cable winding device "I9 is mounted in the cabin 82 of the airplane 3 at the side of the cabin door 8i adjacent the pick-up arm I6, and the cable I8 is secured at one end to the drum of said winding device and extends upwardly in the cabin over a pulley I63 in the upper part of the cabin and out through the side of the cabin downwardly under a pulley I04 mounted on the outer end of section 8'! of the pick-up arm I6, and the outer end of said cable is secured to the outer portion of the section 88 of said pick-up arm at I95. A handle I96 is provided on the winding device 79 for rotating the drum of the device to unwind the cable I8 therefrom or to wind up the cable on said drum if desirable.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

The plunger 6 being in its projected position, under the influence of springs 24, 25, 26, 2? and 23, after it has projected a container 4 from the cage 5, and said container has been picked up by the projection release and pick-up device 2 and delivered into the airplane 3, the crank shaft 42 is shifted in its bearings until the pinion 4| meshes with the rack 49 in the lower side of the plunger rod I 4, and the pawl 46 engages the ratchet wheel as. The crank shaft 42 is then rotated clockwise by the crank t2; whereby the pinion 4! is likewise rotated in mesh with the rack 49, and the plunger 6 is drawn rearwardly in the cage 5 by the plunger rod I4, against the tension of the springs 24, 2.5, 26, 21 and 28, until said plunger is retracted to its initial projecting position and said springs are compressed for projecting said plunger forwardly, as illustrated inFigs. 6 and '7 of the drawings, in which position of the plunger the trigger notch 52 in the upper side of the plunger rod I4 is brought under the trigger 59, whereupon the trigger spring 69 projects said trigger downwardly and its lower end into engagement with said notch, and said plunger and springs are held in their retracted position for projecting a container 4 from the cage 5, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. The crank shaft 42 is then shifted until the pinion 4i disengages the rack 48. A bag of mail or a load of express is placed in a container 4 and the cover 65 placed over the open end-of the container and secured in such position by the engagement of the slide bolts $6 with the openings G'I in the container bail connecting arms 51. Said container is then placed in the cage 5 with its rear end against the plunger 6 and its forward end projecting slightly beyond the forward end of said cage. The container bail 52 is then swung upwardly on its pivots 56 over the forward upwardly bent end 6 3 of the trigger release lever 5!, with the lower cross rod 55 of the bail engaging the upper side of said bent end and holding said lever ill in position with its rear end against the under side of the upper bent end 63 of the trigger 553, as illustrated in Figs. 1, '7 and 8 of the drawings. The container projecting apparatus I is now set for projecting the container 9 from the cage 5, when said apparatus is released by the projection release and pick-up device 2 on the airplane in the manner as will now be described.

The projection release and pick-up device 2 on the airplane 3 is then set for releasing the container projecting apparatus and picking up the container 4 as it is projected by and from said apparatus, by swinging down the pick-up arm I6 and brace member It on their pivots 85 and 83 respectively into their position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 12 of the drawings, in which position the pick-up arm it rests in a horizontal position projecting from one side and a short dis-' The pilot of the airplane 3 flies the plane down to an altitude slightly above the hood I9, and

forwardly at a predetermined speed, for example,

one hundred fifteen miles per hour, on a course that will bring the hook TI, on the outer end of the section 38 of the pick-up arm I6, directly over and close to said hood, so that the point I92 of said hook will pass under the upper cross rod 54 of the container bail 52, until said cross rod, escaping the hook spring I90, passes into the hook and is engaged by the rear portion of said hook, whereupon the bail 52 is swung forwardly on its pivots and the lower cross rod 55 of the bail, engaging the forward upwardly inclined forward end 64 of the trigger release lever cams said end of said lever downwardly and the rear end of said lever upwardly, whereby said rear end of said lever, engaging the upper forwardly bent end 63 of the trigger 5i) lifts said trigger upwardly and its lower end out of the notch 62 in the plunger rod I4, releasing said rod and the plunger 6, whereupon the five springs 24, 25, 28, El and 28 expand with great force and project the plunger 6 forwardly and the plunger, engaging the rear end of the container 4, projects said container forwardly out of the forward end of the cage 5 at a rate of speed corresponding to the rate of speed of the airplane and at an upward inclination, for example thirty-five degrees (35), corresponding to the inclination at which the pilot flies the plane upwardly as the hook 11 engages the container bail 52, thus hooking the container on the outer end of the arm 76 of the projection release and pick-up device 2. As the container leaves the cage 5 and the hook 11 suddenly receives the weight of the container 4, a sudden downward pull is applied by the container to the outer end of the pick-up arm i6 and to the cable 18 and drum of the cable winding device 19, whereupon said device is actuated to enable its mechanism to rotate said drum to wind up-the cable l8 thereon, which swings the pick-up arm I6 and brace member 15 upwardly on their pivots 85 and 83, respectively, into a vertical position adjacent the outside of the cabin 82 of the plane 3, and thereby elevates the container to a position opposite the cabin door 8|, during which operation the weight of the container on the hook 7.! draws the arm section 88 downwardly against the tension of the spring 81' into the upper end of the section 81' of the pick-up arm 16, until the bent end 92 of said arm section 88' rests adjacent the upper end of said arm section 81, thus cushioning the container on the pickup arm during its upward movement and bringing the container and hook ll into a convenient position where the container bail 52 may be readily removed by an attendant from said hook and the container delivered by the attendant through the door 8| into the cabin 82 of the airplane 3, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 11 and 12 of the drawings.

As the plunger 6 of the container projecting apparatus is projected forwardly by the expansion of the five springs 24, 25, 26, 21 and 28, and the container 4 projected by said plunger forwardly out of the cage 5, the forward movement of said plunger is limited by the engagement of the spring-pressed collars 31, on the plunger rods I5, I6, I! and It, with the plunger rod bearings 20, 2 I, 22 and 23 on the cage head 9, and the shock of such engagement of said collars with said bearings is absorbed by the shock absorbing springs 36 on the rear ends of the plunger rods [5, l6, l1 andl8.

Should the container projecting apparatus I fail to function and project the container 4 from the cage 5, when the hook I1 ofthe projection release and pick-up device 2 engages the upper cross rod 54 of the container bail 52, the light pin 99 will be sheared, at the adjacent faces of the hook shank 94 and the recess 93 in the lower end of the section 88 of the pick-up arm of said release and pick-up device 2, by the forward pressure of said pick-up arm and the resistance of said bail cross rod 54, as the airplane 3 continues forwardly, and the lower end of said pick-up arm will escape the hook 11, the shank 94 of which hook passing out of the rear open side of said recess 93 and the flanges 95 in the lower end of the pick-up arm section 88 sliding forwardly out of the shank grooves 95, leaving the hook on said bail cross rod, thus preventing serious damage to the container projecting apparatus l or the container release andpick-up device 2.

In this specification and the annexed drawings I disclose my invention in a form which I consider desirable, but I do not limit my invention to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms, and it is to be understood that in the claims of this specification I intend to cover my invention in whatever form it may be embodied.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container projecting apparatus comprising a cage in which a container is placed to be projected, a plunger slidably mounted in said cage and against which said container is placed,

springs in said container engaging said plunger 5 for projecting the same forwardly in said cage and causing said plunger to project said container from said cage, a plunger rod, a rack on said plunger rod, a crank shaft journaled on said cage, a pinion on said crank shaft in mesh with said rack for retracting said plunger against the tension of said springs when said crank shaft is rotated in .one direction, said plunger rod being provided with a notch, and a trigger for engaging said notch and holding said plunger retracted until said trigger is released from said notch.

2. A container projecting apparatus as characterized by claim 1 including a bail pivotally con-' nected to the forward end'of said container, and a trigger release lever pivoted to said cage and formed with an inclined end to be engaged by a part of said bail for holding the other end of said lever against a part on said trigger and for swinging said lever, when said bail is swung on its pivots, for disengaging said trigger from said 25 notch to release said plunger rod and said plunger.

3. A pick-up device comprising a pick-up arm pivoted to an airplane to be swung out from the plane into a position for picking up an object, said arm comprising two telescopic sections, one of said sections being pivoted to the airplane, a pick-up hook on the outer end of the other section, a spring in said pivoted section against which bears the inner end of said hook section, and means for swinging said arm and an object hooked thereon upwardly adjacent the plane.

4. A pick-up device comprising a pick-up arm pivoted to an airplane to be swung out from the plane into position for picking up an object, a pick-up hook' slidably mounted on the outer end of said arm, a pin for normally holding said pickup hook in said arm for picking up the object when the plane flies near said object, and said pin being of such strength as to break and allow 4.6 said pick-up hook to slide out of said arm in case said object resists being picked up beyond a predetermined pressure.

5. A pick-up device comprising a pick-up arm pivoted to an airplane to be swung out from the plane into position for picking up an object, means for swinging said arm and an object picked up thereby upwardly adjacent the plane, and a brace member pivoted to the plane and in which said arm is slidably mounted for swinging up or down with said pick-up arm and for bracing said pick-up arm.

6. A container projecting apparatus comprising a cage in which a container is placed to be projected, a plunger slidably mounted in said cage and against which said container is placed for projection, a plunger rod provided with a notch,

a trigger for engaging said notch and holding said plunger retracted until said trigger is released from said notch, a bail pivotally connected to 5 the forward end of said container, and a trigger releaselever pivoted to said cage and formed with an inclined end to be engaged by a part of said bail for holding the other end of said lever against a part on said trigger and for swinging said lever, 7 when said bail is swung on its pivots, for disengaging said trigger from said notch to release said plunger rod and said plunger, and means for projecting said plunger forwardly in said cage and causing it to project said container from said engageable member, a pick-up arm pivoted to an airplane to be swung downwardly and outwardly from the plane into position to engage said engageable member to actuate said releasing means to enable said projecting apparatus to project 5 said container, and to pick up said container as it is projected by said projecting apparatus, and means for swinging said arm and the container picked up by said arm upwardly alongside said airplane.

HARRY P. TRUSTY. 

